Collisions
by The Cello Mistress
Summary: Walking away from her two yojimbo on that dusty road, Fuu knew her life was forever marked by them. She has to learn to move on and find herself again without them, but how can she do that when fate keeps on throwing them back together? OT3
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Well this will be my first venture into SC, and it will be OT3, so yay! I was going through the archives and there isnt really any full lenght stories in this field. I think there is one, which was totally awesome and realistic, but most are oneshots.

Rating will be M for Mugen and violence, plus mentions of rape. If this offends you, well fair warning was given. May contain a lemon in the future, still not sure about that just yet.

Shoutout to 3Jane and her story which gave me some of my headcannon ideas for this story. The sword and... Poor fuu. If you ever read this, thank you and please dont think that i'm ripping off your story, i have a tottally different plot in mind that just deals with some similar plot points.

So without further adeu, i present... *drumroll*

Collisions

Standing on that crossroad, Fuu could feel the difference in the air. This chapter in her life was over, and in a way she was glad. Seeing the looks full of unspoken words Mugen and Jin were sharing across the road, and noting the change in dynamic between the two, she was almost glad that she wouldn't have to spend almost every night across a campfire from them.

The key word being almost, for she loved them both equaly and walking away, glibly admiting to tricking them and giving a promise to meet again... well it was a diversion. A diversion from the pain of leaving half of her heart steadily walking off in two directions. She almost laughed (though it might come out a bit histerical) because at best they thought of her as a sister, and at worst an annoying obligation.

But she had to get away, away from the memories, away from the church. It had haunted her having to stay there those first few days when both of her yojimbo were too wounded to move. The memories had almost overwhelmed her, sending her into a deep depression that she feared she'd never crawl out of. If her boys hadn't needed her, she probably would have given up.

And that was why she had to go, because she had grown too dependent on them, and she needed to beat this on her own for once. Looking at the two of them back there, and watching them while they recoverd back at her fathers house, something had changed between them. They still talked to eachother the same, said the same insults, but there was a undercurrent to their conversation now. Fuu didn't know what it is, but there doesn't seem for there to space for her to fit anymore. No matter that they are walking in opposite directions, they'll meet up again, fate would see to it.

The thought caused a bittersweet smile to cross her face, because knowing that even if she does meet one of them by chance again, it'll never be like what she imagined before nagasaki.

Shaking these thoughts from her head with some dificulty, she focused on the plan she had come up with in her last few days as their care taker. While in Edo she had heard a rumor of a dojo for women. If she could only make it there without incident, she would be free to face her demons.

If she traveled non stop, it would probably take her a little over two weeks to get there, but that wouldn't be possible. She will have to stop in villages along the way, no more camping out in the open without the boys by her side. With a path firmly in mind, Fuu took her first steps to taking back the scattered peices of herself

The first town she arrived in was busier then she would have liked, too many people, too many things that can go wrong. Searching for work became a top priority, because work meant money, and money ment a room to get away from too many eyes.

'Breath Fuu, keep your head up an your breathing steady. Acting like nothing is wrong is half the battle, right? Right.' Pep talk delivered, Fuu continued on, though at a slightly slower pace then before. Going with the safest bet, she went up to a gaggle of elderly women chatting under an awning, probably trying to escape the heat... Or this was their regular gossiping spot, who knew?

"Excuse me, do you women know of any places that are hiring?" Fuu asked, hands in a pleading posision.

"There is a job opening or two, old Genzo is looking to hire, so is Mai, and a few others, what kind of work have you done?" A woman with shrewed eyes from the back of the crowd spoke up, looking her over. Fuu felt like this was her interview at this very moment and she hadn't even prepared!

"Well, I've worked in tea houses, and I was a dice roller once, I have some house keeping experience, Oh, there was that one modeling job. Um, I'm also pretty good with stitching up wounds, wrapping them, that kind of thing. Also know a little bit about herbs. Sorry, am I rambling?" Fuu felt like slapping herself. This woman was probably the wife of someone important or something, and here she was making herself look like a twit!

"Experience with wounds you say? Perfect, Tatsu's was looking for an assistant. Go down the street, and take the first left. Building has a sign that says tatsu's clinic out front, can't miss it." At that the woman turned away, seemingly bored with the conversation.

"Oh, thank you so much! You would't happen to know where I can find a cheap, clean place to stay, would you?" Fuu asked. At that, all the women laughed.

"Oh sweetie, those two things are mutially exclusive. Can't help you there. Ask someone from the teahouse, they see a lot of travelers, maybe they can help you out." Feeling a little miffed that she was laughed at, but eager to get off the street, Fuu walked off, following the womans directions.

Entering the building, she found it had a strong sent of herbs and was cluttered with tables and baskets, jars and towels, and herbs hanging in every available space. Walking around the organized chaos, Fuu headed to a door she had spotted in the back, calling out as she did.

"Hello, anyone here? Someone said you were hiring?" Fuu asked, feeling awkward being in someones place without permision. She was turning around to leave then, figuring they were out for an errand, when a woman replied.

"Looking for work eh? Well come here, let me look at you. Good, you have small hands, great for stitching and wrapping, got any experience? Not to much muscle tone, can't hold someone down too well if they're thrashing. Pretty face too, men like that in a nurse. Got any know how about herbs?" As she talked, she circled around Fuu, grabbing a hand here, lifting an arm and pinching at her bicep, then moving on to grab at her face to get a proper look, earning an indignant squeak from Fuu.

The woman, Tatsu she assumed was once beautiful, but the years had been harsh on her causing her back to hunch and her face to wrinkle, though her hair was still a glossy black.

Squirming from her grasp, Fuu remebered that she had been asked a question. " I'm better with stiching up and binding wounds, and most of my knowledge of herbs is about edible ones, though I do know some that help with healing."

"Thats plenty enough, more than the last girl that came in. I can at least give you a try, see if you have the stomache for it. Lets get started, got a patient in back, came in bout the same time as you." Tatsu declared, and ushered Fuu ahead of her, grabbing a basket as she passed.

Fuu could't believe her luck, things never worked out so well for her. First day in town, and she wasn't working in a teashop, a brothel, or being kidnapped! It was sort of making her paranoid. Though maybe this was just a sign of good things to come, who could say?

Reaching the door at the back they came to a hallway lined with three hanging mats and a staircaise to the back. Tatsu pulled back the first hanging mat, and beckoned Fuu into the room

"This is Matsuo, broke his arm doing something stupid I'm sure. Ever splint a broken arm before?" Tatsu asked, as she walked up to the boy, who appeared about thirteen, and began laying out the items from her basket on a table.

Fuu walked up and looked at the assortment: bandages, two pieces of slighly curved wood, cloth, and some sort of poultice in a jar. "Uh, no. Where are his parent? Did they just leave him here?"

"No, he's an orphan. Don't want want to know how he gets the money to pay for for his injuries, no way he's up to any good, but mon is mon. Just hold his arm steady, ok? And hand me what i need when i tell you to."

"Alright kid, let me see that arm... Oh thats not good, how long ago did you break this?" Tatsu aksed, a slight look of worry appearing on her face before appearing calm once more.

"Uhh, maybe a week ago? I can't really recall." Matsuo uttured, looking down at the floor.

"Girl, go back into the shop, grab two plants, one has purple blooms and short, fat leaves the the other has long thin leaves with spikes along the edges and grow together in bunches. Put some water to boil as well, kitchen is next to this room. Bring everything here when its ready."

Fuu rushed off, feeling useful for once. This was something she could do. Heading to the kitchen first, she saw the embers in the hearth burning low. Stoking them around, she added another log, then looked around for a teapot. Once it was filled and set above the flames, she ran back to the front to find the herbs, and double checked that they were right. Back at the kitchen, she dug for a cup, tray and a rag, then pulled the tea kettle from the fire with the rag once it whistled.

Balancing her cargo, Fuu went back to Tatsu and the boy, who looked even more miserable now than when he first came in.

"Good. This will help with the pain and bring down any swelling. Girl, once this tea is ready, you need to hold him down so i can rebrake his arm. Dumb boy waited too long to come here, and it started healing wrong. That will teach you to be stubborn." Tatsu declared, then tured to face Fuu with a puzzeld look on her face

"You know I never asked your name, might as well get the niceties out of the way while the tea is steeping. I'm Mai, nice to meet ya, and you?" Tatsu, or Mai now, asked.

"Oh, Fuu, it's nice to meet you as well. Your name isn't Tatsu?" Fuu asked.

"No, it was my daughter's name. This place was her dream, so I named it after her. Teas done, time to get to work." Mai rose, and offered the boy the tea. Fuu, slightly thrown by the swift change in topics, just sat there.

"Sorry kid, nothing is really going to make this hurt any less, the tea is for afterwords. Fuu, get his arm." Mai ordered. At that, Fuu jumped up to grab Matsuo by his shoulder and elbow.

"Alright Matsuo, on three, ok? Ready? 1...2..*CRACK*"

"AAAAAHHH"

"...3." Mai dedpanned.

That first day was exhausting, not just because of the paitients, and there was a lot (apparently there is quite a bit of gang activity here) but Mai had Fuu reading her books on herbs and plants during any availible free time, so both her mind and body felt like mush.

Even better than finding a job her first day, Mai had an extra room that she is letting Fuu use. She's docking it out of her pay, but it's still cheaper than an inn. At this rate, she'll be able to have enough to get to Edo in a little over two months. Too much good fortune made Fuu feel a little paranoid, it had never done her any good turns in the past, but she hoped it tuned out okay for once.

Laying down in her futon, she thought of them, of her two body guards. She wondered if they were traveling together or apart, if they had thought of her. Reaching her arm out, she grabbed ahold of the wakizashi that was part of her father's daisho, the katana of which she had given to Jin after he and Mugen had broken their swords. Mugen had also recieved a sword, some european sword that she had found at her fathers house. It had reminded her of his sword so much she just had to give it to him. Both had looked so shocked at the gifts, and maybe there were other emotions as well... Gratitude, affection, joy? It was hard hard to tell with those two. Their gruff thanks were enough, and the memory warmed her.

Holding onto the hilt, she felt closer to that moment, and she hoped it would keep the nightmares at bay,

Fin

A/N: Hah, bet you thought I was going to have her working at a teahouse, or as a dice roller huh? Well... I almost did lol. Originally this chapter was longer, but i broke it up into two parts so it flowed better. So what do you think? Drop a line and tell me your thoughts if you have the time. Constructive criticisms welcome, flames will be ignored.

Translation Notes:

Yojimbo: Bodyguard or bouncer. Seeing as this is set around the 1600s, it definitly means bodyguard

Daisho: A pair of matched Katana and wakizashi(short sword) worn by the samurai class at the time. Only samurai (who were actually a cast amd not just warriors) were allowed to carry them to denote their station.

And the names? Well i just made them up, if anyone wants to find out what they mean feel free lol.

Stay tuned for chapter two, should be up soonish... in about a week or so when chapter three is done. What can i say, i like knowing that if something happens, you guys won't be shit out of luck ^~^.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Forgot to put a disclaimer in the first chapter. I don't own Samurai champluu, if i did it would have ended in a steamy threesome ^-^ No copyright infringement intended.

And now i give you...

Chapter Two

She had been working at Mai's for over three months now, and grown to be quite a proficient healer. Not as good as Mai, that woman knew everything, but she could run the shop for a few hours if Mai needed to run some errands. She had saved enough for the trip to Edo and then some, but kept coming up with excuses to stay. Mai still needed time to find a new apprentice, she should save a bit more just in case, there was some bad weather coming in, might as well wait it out. The truth was though, she was scared. Scared to be by herself again, with no one who would come to save her if things went south, and now Fuu knew just how bad it could get for a woman on her own.

'It's not a bad place to settle for a bit' Fuu thought, 'maybe not the best but it wouldn't be too bad.' Though Fuu knew that was the fear speaking, so she kept a bag ready for the day when her courage outweighed her fear.

The town, called Aka-gai for the strange clams found in the harbor, wasn't the worst place she's been to, but it wasn't the best either. It had its fair share of gangs, drugs, and prostitutes, this town was just better at hiding it. Lucky for her though, they are the only healers in town, and nobody really messes with them, the gangs considered this place neutral territory, so that was one less thing to worry about.

Which was why Fuu wasn't too worried as she was stitching up a sword wound across some yakuza thug. Fuu may be alone watching the shop, but she could make his recovery hell, and he knows it, as she's sure some of his friends can attest.

As the girl was finishing the last couple of stitches, she heard someone come in the front of the shop.

"I'm back here! If you have wound that need treating come on back, or if you want to buy something i'll be right out," Fuu yelled, over her shoulder, stilling in her work. At a grunt from the man in front of her, she started again. The last stitch in place and knotted off, she started to apply some poultice just as the hanging mat swung open and a man staggered in.

"Sit down, just got to wrap this, then i'll get to you. You walked here, so you're not in danger of dying just yet." With that said, Fuu finished slathering the wound and wiped off her hands, then began wrapping the wound.

"Alright, that will be 1 shu, and here, bandages and more poultice. Change them every eight hours or so." Fuu declared, helping the man to his feet.

"Thanks Fuu, your stitches are better'n Mai's I tell ya. Here, that for you, don't be telling Mai that I gave you no tips, she'll be 'spectin it every time I come in." The man chuckled, then started hobling out the door.

"Thanks Kenchi! Course I wouldn't, if I did that, you'd be too broke to tip me!" Fuu laughed, then turned to the man who had been silently observing this whole time and almost fainted in shock. Because sitting there, calm as you please with his side dripping blood, was Jin.

"Oh my god, Jin, why didn't you say something? Oh who am I kidding, its you! But you didn't even 'Hm' or 'Ah' to get my attention and your bleeding all over the floor! Who did this to you, did you kill them, how many were there? Sit down over there, let me go get something fix that up" Fuu was rambling, she knew it but she didn't know how to stop. Honestly she never thought Jin would be the first one she'd see, in her imagination it was always Mugen, just like how their journey started.

But here he was, in the flesh, and wounded to boot. That grounded her a little. Injuries were something she was used to by now, something she could take care of, and do it well. Finding that bit of calm, Fuu turned to leave the room, but before she could leave, something wrapped around her wrist. Looking down, she saw it was a finely shaped, strong hand that lead to a wrist, then an arm, from there to a shoulder, and finally leading to Jin's face. Something she hadn't really looked at yet, because it might cause her to burst into tears.

He was a little pale from the blood loss, but still just as beautiful as when she had left them on that crossroad. Though he did look a little different without the glasses, more wild ronin, less wandering scholar.

"Fuu-chan, I am... Surprised to see you here." Jin declared, still holding onto her wrist. At that she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They hadn't seen each other in months and that is what he says? Where did he expect to see her? A teahouse, or hell maybe a whore house seeing as how often she ended (or almost ended) up in one? Then again this was Jin not exactly the sentimental type, Fuu didn't know why she was surprised. At least he still called her Fuu-chan.

"Me neither Jin, guess i just got lucky. Keeping you and Mugen alive after your fights was good practice. Speaking of, have you seen him?" Fuu asked tugging on her wrist seeing as he still hadn't let go. Jin's eyes widened a bit as he hastily dropped her hand and shucked off his gi.

"Ah, he's in town too, checking the local teahouses for you. It was chance i found you, my wound is on my back, and i cannot care for it myself." With that Jin removed the last of his upper layers and turned his back to Fuu. She barely smothered the gasp before it left her lips. The wound was deep, going from his shoulder and curling under his ribs on the right side, still bleeding sluggishly.

Fuu reached out and touched above the wound, noticing there was some bruising there as well. Feeling Jin stiffen beneath her hand, she hastily pulled away and apologized.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother the wound, just saw you had some bruising as well. Let me go get everything ready, go sit down on that stool over there and hold this to your side if you can" Fuu said, handing him a towel. He couldn't reach all of the wound, but there was no point in letting him bleed extra now, was there?

Actually able to leave this time, Fuu left to boil some water, and go to the front room to grab one of the stitching baskets. Checking that it was fully stocked, she went back to the kitchen and collapsed in a chair, silently having a panic attack. Since the moment she had noticed him her ears had been filled with white noise, the memories he had reminded her of had almost caused her to have a flashback. She had basically been running on auto pilot, all higher brain function shut down, only leaving room for simple thoughts. It was how she coped... But this was getting her nowhere.

"This is good Fuu, right? I mean this is the kind of sign you have been waiting for. It goes to show you that now matter how deeply you bury it, your past will always find you, so you might as well face it. Jin will always be linked with good memories, but there are also bad ones, and thats what you are trying to recover from. So fix him up, buy him a meal, and then get your butt in gear!" Fuu chastised herself. Now less panicked and more determined, she prepared the tea and brought the cup, kettle, and basket back into the room

"Had to wait for the water to boil! Still bleeding? Hmm, looks slow enough that I can start. As soon as the tea is ready I need you to drink it, should help with the pain and the blood loss." Fuu tried to be peppy and concise, so Jin wouldn't realize anything was wrong, he always was the more observant out of the two. Seeing how unfocused his gaze was just now, she relaxed a bit. Jin wouldn't notice if she stole his sword and started interpretive dancing with it right now.

"Hm" he replied, slowly blinking up at her, looking at her with strange eyes. Shaking her head at the dopey look on his face, Fuu poured the remaining water into a half full basin, then dipped in a rag.

"I'm going to clean off the wound first, then i'll stitch you up, okay Jin?" Fuu asked, crouching down and putting a hand on his knee to steady herself. Clearing away the blood from his side and the wound, it started bleeding again, so she put pressure until it was just a trickle. She had been so concentrated on examining the wound, figuring the best place to put the stitches for the least discomfort, that when she was getting up to wring out the rag she didn't notice that her hand was once again captive.

Looking up at Jin, his eyes a little glossy from the blood loss and pain, Fuu froze. In one of his rare moments, Jin decided to brake the silence, which was good for Fuu, seeing as she may as well have been carved from wood what with all the activity going on in her head at the moment. ( Something along the lines of 'Jin...Hand...Huh?)

"I am glad that I found you here. We were both worried. Something was different about you after Ikistuki island" Jin uttered. At that Fuu panicked a bit. Normally she couldn't get the guy to say two words, and now he wants to talk? Just her luck.

"Everything was different Jin, I felt like I grew up a bit. Um, can i have my hand back? I need to finish with this before you bleed out." Fuu said, tugging at her hand a bit. Jin looked at his hand as if he didn't realize he had grabbed it and let go. Grabbing the fishing wire and needle, Fuu stood behind Jin.

"Alright, the tea is ready. Bottoms up!" And with that exclamation, Fuu got to work, trying to be as gentle yet quick as possible. Once she got to the part where it curved around his ribs, she saw his arm was in the way, and moving it would pull the skin too much.

" I need you to lay down on the table over there so I can get to your side. Lay on your stomach" Fuu ordered, and Jin shuffled over to comply. Stitching the last of his wound shut, Fuu helped back into a seating position and went to grab the salve and bandages.

Applying the salve the the bandages, she began wrapping the wound which was... awkward. She normally never noticed the scent of her patients, clean and sweet like grass and a musk particular to Jin overlaid by blood from his wound, or feel the heat rising from their skin. She was worried that part of her had been forever ruined, but what a crappy time to return, when she needed all her wits about her!

Tying off the bandage, Fuu pulled back, hoping Jin couldn't see her blush. Wiping her hands off on a towel, Fuu stepped back and started packing everything away, giving Jin time to dress. With nothing immediate to occupy her hands, Fuu's brain started running again, and shoved to the forefront something Jin had said earlier.

Mugen was in town as well, and they were both looking for her, worried for her. This caused the ache that had been in her chest for months to subside a bit, but she ruthlessly shoved the thought aside. They didn't care for her they same way she did for them. To Jin and Mugen she was a good friend, a dear companion maybe, nothing more.

"Mugen is here too? Are you two traveling together?" Fuu enquired, trying her best not to sound depressed by this prospect. Her voice came out surprisingly even, with only the smallest hitch at the end to suggest that not all was ok.

"Aah, we encountered each other a month ago and decided to see if all was well with you." Jin replied. At that Fuu sighed. If she wanted to know anything more she would have to pry it out of Jin (which was nearly impossible) or wait until the inevitable occurred and Mugen found them.

"Well I'm watching the shop until the owner comes back, so why don't you go track him down if you feel up to it, then meet me back here in an hour when this place closes and I'll treat you guys to dinner, huh?" Fuu proposed, wanting some time to herself to sort out her thoughts and feelings.

At that Jin nodded and rose to leave, Fuu following him to the door in case he was dizzier than he let on. When he reached the threshold, he turned around to face her once more, and Fuu was startled by how much he towered over her. The top of her head barely reached his chin, and she had to crane her neck to make eye contact.

"How much do I owe you, Fuu-chan?" Jin enquired, stooping a bit either to favor his injury or to make it easier for Fuu to make eye contact, it was hard to tell with the ronin.

"Oh, no charge for an old friend. Besides, in a round about way it was thanks to you that I even got the job, so think of it as me returning the favor!" Fuu replied, chuckling a bit. At that Jin flashed a quick smile, though it was gone before she could really appreciate it.

"There's a good restaurant in the village center, Genzo's bar. It has a red lantern hanging out front, I'll see you two there in about an hour, yeah?" With that said, Fuu waved him off and walked back into the shop, steeling her nerves for the meeting soon to come.

A/N: And so ends chapter 2! Please R&R, let me know your thought on the chapter. Sorry it was so short . ... But hey, Jin was re-introduced! And there was mentions of Mugen, so not all bad, right? *runs away before the few fans i have aquired can get out the rotten produce*

The Currency: During the Tokugawa era, the shogunate tried to create a country wide currency of gold, silver, and bronze that was interchangeable at a fixed rate. About 4000 mon (round bronze piece with a hole in the middle)= 16 shu (silver or gold small square coins with imprint denoting the minting and weight) = 4 bu (silver rectangular coins with imprint on them) = 2 ni ( gold rectangular coins)= 1 koban. Long oblong gold pieces, called a koban, held about a ryo (or roughly 15g of gold) but various minting and counterfeits changed the value of that. The words Ryo and Koban are interchangeable, but Koban is the name of the currency, and ryo is a unit of measurement... And now you know lol. Oh, and one Koban is roughly equivalent to 1-3 koku's of rice (the amount of rice it takes to feed a family for a year) thek koku's amount depending on the year


End file.
